TOCFL Writing Test Practice (Basic): Picture Descriptions and Letters with Model Answers

By the end you can

• Know the two tasks and the time for each. TOCFL Writing Basic has two typed tasks: describe a picture, then write a letter, each in 80-100 characters and 20 minutes. The book shows how to spend two minutes on a plan before you type.
  第一題是看圖寫作。 · Dì yī tí shì kàn tú xiězuò. · Task one is writing about a picture.
• Type with zhuyin or pinyin and pick the right character. Choose by meaning between sound-alikes the input list offers: 在 or 再, 他 or 她, 的 or 得. Find typing mistakes in sentences and count your characters at the end.
  我在家打字，明天再去考試。 · Wǒ zài jiā dǎzì, míngtiān zài qù kǎoshì. · I'm typing at home; tomorrow I'll go and take the test.
• Describe a picture in 80-100 characters. Three scenes: a busy breakfast shop, a riverside park on Sunday and a convenience store on a rainy evening. Start with time and place, say who does what, and end with a feeling.
  這張圖裡有三個人。 · Zhè zhāng tú lǐ yǒu sān ge rén. · There are three people in this picture.
• Join actions into longer sentences. Link what people do with 一邊…一邊…, 因為…所以…, …以後 and 先…然後…, and say where each person is with 左邊 and 右邊.
• Write a friendly note with a time, a place and a plan. Invite a friend visiting Taipei: when and where to meet, what you will do and what to bring, with the time before the place as Chinese puts it.
  你最近好嗎？ · Nǐ zuìjìn hǎo ma? · How have you been lately?
• Write polite emails to a landlord and a teacher. Report a broken air conditioner with 請問, 可不可以 and 麻煩您, then reply to your teacher's message and answer every question in it.
• Write both tasks against the clock. A mock run: describe a night market picture, then write to a friend about your new home, 20 minutes each. Compare your texts with the Models in the key and read them aloud with the free audio.

What’s inside

• The test: TOCFL Writing Basic at a Glance · Typing With Zhuyin or Pinyin
• Picture: Picture 1: The Breakfast Shop · Picture 2: Sunday at the River · Picture 3: A Rainy Evening
• Letter: Letter 1: A Note to a Friend · Letter 2: An Email to a Landlord · Letter 3: A Reply to a Teacher
• Mock run: Mock Run: Picture and Letter
• Plan: Your Four-Week Writing Plan

How to use this book

Two pages on the test and typing, six practice pages and a mock run. Follow the book's four-week plan on page 12, typing every task with a 20-minute timer and the Model covered until you finish.

1. Week 1: Set up and type every day. Set up a zhuyin or pinyin keyboard on your phone and computer and type the phrases on pages 3 and 4. Type 50 characters a day about your day, then check 在 and 再, 的 and 得, 他 and 她.
2. Week 2: Pictures. Do one picture page a day (pages 5 to 7) with a 20-minute timer. Each evening, describe a photo from your own phone: time and place, people, actions, a feeling.
3. Week 3: Letters. Do one letter page a day (pages 8 to 10): greeting, every part of the task, closing, name. Send a real short note in Chinese to a friend or classmate.
4. Week 4: Mock run and Models. Do the mock run on page 11 twice, 20 minutes per task, and count your characters. Read all six Models aloud.
5. Last day: See how far you've come. Keep every text you type in one file. Read your first and your last text side by side and note three things you now do better.

Who it’s for

Learners preparing for the TOCFL Writing test at the Basic level, including anyone planning to study or work in Taiwan, and teachers who want typed writing practice in Traditional characters.

Before you start: Beginner to lower-intermediate Mandarin and some Traditional characters, and a zhuyin or pinyin keyboard on your phone or computer. Phrases print pinyin and Zhuyin, and the exercise answers and Models are in the key at the back.

Frequently asked questions

How close is it to the TOCFL Writing test?

It follows the two task types of TOCFL Writing at the Basic level: a picture description and a letter, 80-100 characters each in 20 minutes. SayMei wrote every prompt and Model, so it is practice in the TOCFL format. TOCFL has higher writing levels too; this book covers Basic only.

Should I write by hand or type?

Type when you can, because the test is typed. The book shows how to choose the right character from a zhuyin or pinyin input list and check sound-alikes. On most pinyin keyboards you type ü as v, so 綠 lǜ is lv.

Is there audio?

Yes, free on this book's page on saymei.app: every Chinese line is read aloud with a pause for you to say it back, including the Models. Read each Model aloud with the audio, then read your own text aloud.

Is this workbook free?

Yes. The whole 16-page PDF is free, and you can look through its pages here before you download. There's no card and nothing to pay.

Do I need a SayMei account?

Yes, to download the PDF, and the account is free: sign up with Google, Apple or your email address. With it we email you a copy of the workbook, keep every workbook you download on your account on all your devices, save your place in the free online practice, and you can practise speaking with Mei Lin, SayMei's AI tutor.

How do I print it?

The PDF is US Letter size. On A4 paper, choose "Fit to page" (or "Scale to fit") in the print dialog so nothing is cut off. Print the whole workbook or only the pages you need; colour looks best, and black and white works too.

Can I print copies for my class?

Yes. Print as many copies as you like for your own class or family. To share it, send this page: everyone can download their own copy.

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